trolley freak
25Jul11
O dear! How dreadful is that going to be?!
This film is absolutely incredible. Perhaps the best Japanese film I've ever seen. It is truly a contemplation about art and aesthetic conventions, with a Hamlet-like story and choreographed to utter perfection. I'm entirely bewildered as to how this was accomplished. Utterly amazing.
Sitting here stunned after four hours and really just wanting the film to go on even more. The film didn't even FEEL like four hours and it was brilliant how Mizoguchi didn't show the battle scene. I also really really just REALLY loved the camera set-up with certain scenes and just letting it linger for a few minutes before letting it actually "begin".
Stunning, fluid and subtle camera movement, with wonderfully long takes. If I were ever to make a film, I'd get the cinematographer to watch this a hundred times and I'd tell him/her "make it look like this". Somehow a deeply hostile and serious film, which makes it even cooler.
I love "Seven Samurai", but compared to this it seems sort of a frivolous affair.
God, for a moment there I imagined you said they were remaking this with Kea...Oh. Oh.
What? I just watched movie free on here for the first time about a week ago, now no one can?